It has been a long time since I have posted on here.  I have been spending  a lot of time on Theophilux lately.  There is a great discussion raging on.  There are (at least) two Open Theists on there and things have gotten interesting in the comment thread.  If you want to be a fly on the wall or join in on the discussion head on over.  On the main page, look to the right side of the screen and scroll down if you need to to see the most recently commented on articles.  Chances are the most recent one is the one titled “Do you pray like an Open Theist (I hope you do)”.  That was written by an Open Theist (obviously) and is where most of the discussion lies (or is it lays, I can never remember).

Things have been interesting for me lately.  I have a side job helping to film something and edit the videos (more info on that when it comes close to completion).  Also, I’m on the Christian Education Committee at my church and have been recently given the title Coordinator of Adult Sunday School.  So I get to be the head honcho on certain matters.  Also, I am teaching my first Sunday School class this Sunday.  It is on the Redemptive Story.  We will be looking through all 66 books of the canon at a rather brisk pace in order to see and understand the overarching narrative throughout the Scriptures.  I hope this class will be accessible to new believers as well as edifying and informative for those who have been in the church longer than I have been alive.  If you would like to come, it will meet Sunday at 9AM at Christ Church EPC in Anderson, SC.

Also, I got the new ESV Study Bible!  If you are in the market for a study bible, I heartily suggest this one.  I have seen and used others such as the NIV Study, the NASB Study, and the Reformation Study Bible (ESV).  But all those pale in comparison to the value of the notes, maps, and articles of the ESV Study Bible.

Here are some reasons I’m so overjoyed at this Study Bible:

• It uses the ESV, my favorite English Translation
  • It is literal, yet not wooden like the NASB.  It is readable yet not boring like the NIV.  It is in modern english yet poetic and beautiful like the KJV.
• The notes are powerful
  • I often ignored the notes in other Study Bibles because they were so, well, blah.  They failed to give further insight and usually just echoed a denominational perspective or sought to avoid any sort of controversy.  Difficult passages were rarely treated.  Not so in the ESV Study.  I can honestly say, that it really does add to my understanding of the passages.
  • They are set up in a tiered format.  First you get the note for the section of the text you are in.  Then a note on the subsection you are currently in.  Then it goes into verse by verse notes.  Its really wonderful and aides in seeing the each book as a whole.  It is very logical in its setup.
• The introductory material
  • Yes it has the standard categories such as Author, Date, and Purpose.  But it also seeks to ground each section of the Scriptures and then each book of the Scriptures into a cohesive whole.  The place of each book in the grand narrative is discussed (yay!).
• The Articles
  • This Study Bible has articles written by some of the top scholars of today.  Some articles will go unused by many no doubt, but for those that wish to read Daniel Wallace discuss the Reliability of the New Testament manuscripts, this is a treasure.
  • The article which I will refer to most is the History of Salvation in the Old Testament article.  It goes through and lists the verses in each book of the OT that correspond to Christ and His work and gives a short explanation.
  • It has about 250 pages worth of articles.  Go to the website listed above to scan it.
• It’s ONLINE!
  • When you receive your ESV Study Bible, you also receive a code to enter online.  This code gives you access to the very same material online.  Every map, note, article, etc. is online for your ease of navigating.  It is so great to read a great note with a reference to another text and simply hover over the text and read it.  I’ll have to look again and see if it gives you permission to print maps and such for use in church.  If so that would be yet another great thing.

I say this not because they give me any money if I refer people to them (that would be interesting).  I say this because I was thrilled that a truly wonderful Study Bible has come out.  The short time that I have had it has already aided me in reading the Scriptures with greater fervor.  My hope is that it would do the same for you.  If you need or want one, I cannot recommend this one enough.  If you already have Study Bibles but rarely find the notes worth reading, give this one a shot.  But, if you do get this one or already have a Study Bible you read, then remember, the notes are not inspired, only the Scripture itself is (no matter how intelligent the editors are).

One final note on it:

I know that for many the font and color of the text is just as much important to them as the notes.  If you have trouble reading the text your not going to get much out of it.  Well, the ESV Study Bible is one of the more readable texts for me.  The words of Christ are not in red though, so everything is in black font.  I personally don’t like black font on white paper.  My eyes don’t like that much for some reason.  So this text is more of the same in that sense.  But the font is more readable than others.  The notes however, seem to be the most readable that I have noticed.  I don’t know what it is, but the font of the notes are almost easier to read for me than the text itself is.  And if anyone has another ESV Bible, they may know the ESV for rediculously small font sizes.  The ESV is a respectable 9 point font.  All in all, quite readable on paper, even more readable on screen.